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Turley Sisters: Making It A Family Affair
9/12/2018 3:41 PM | Women's Tennis
By Riley Elliott
Athletics Communications Intern
Growing up in a family that frequently played tennis, sisters Brianna Chisholm and Whitney Hekking, got an earlier start than most at the sport. While they may have different last names, with both getting married in the last year, they also go by another name - The Turley Sisters.
Their mother, Anissa Turley, was a member of the BYU women's tennis team, as well as their grandfather, who played on the BYU men's team. With tennis running in their family's bloodline, Brianna and Whitney's tennis potential was noticed very quickly.
"I played tennis as soon as I could pick up a racket, probably around age two," Brianna said. "My mom played collegiate tennis, and it was also a family activity. It started out as fun, then my family saw our potential and we started playing competitively. I was seven years old when I played in my first competitive tournament."
Whitney's fate wasn't too different from Brianna. Seeing her family play tennis on the regular gave her the motivation to get into the sport.
"It was kind of just a family thing, so we always went out and played, then I started loving it," Whitney said.
Being only one year apart in eligibility for Utah, they were constantly playing tennis together when they were younger to help each other improve. It was also an advantage for both of them to always have somebody to practice with.
"It was fun to play with her because I always had somebody to go out and hit, or practice with," recalled Brianna. "I didn't have to schedule something with a friend or another player, we always had each other to go and get some hits in without coaches."
Brianna is a senior on the team this season, but it isn't her first try at being a leader. With Whitney on the team, Brianna has been an influence on her sister for longer than their time in Salt Lake City.
"It was great growing up and being able to play with her," Whitney said. "I feel like it was fun playing with her because I had somebody to look up to, I always thought that if Brianna could do it, I could do it too."
Although they both played competitive tennis from a young age, neither of them had played on an actual tennis team. That changed after both of them attended Davis High School. Brianna was able to help the Darts win a state title in 2013, as well as winning four individual state titles throughout her high school career. She also collected the accolades of female athlete/scholar of the year award, Golden Match 2012 award for not losing a point, and the Hilary Doyle Sportsmanship Award.
"Davis high was awesome because it was the first time that I got to play on an actual tennis team," Brianna said. "It was different. It was a social thing that I wasn't really used to with tennis. It was super fun though, I wanted to be a four-time state champion and to accomplish that, just motivated me even more. Then winning the state championship as a team, that was actually our 100th anniversary of the school being open, so it was super exciting and a very big deal. Being a part of that team taught me that I can reach my goals, and I am very thankful for the experience that I had at Davis."
Whitney was also a key component in Davis' 2013 women's tennis state title. She was able to letter all four years with the Darts, winning four individual state titles and placing second in the Girls 18 Singles in the 2015 ITA Fall Championship.
"Davis was a lot of fun, and took a lot of hard work," Whitney said. "It was great playing on the same team as Brianna, she always pushed me to be better. It was also a good preparation for college with the team aspect of it."
From a young age, Brianna had always wanted to be a Ute, and after her official visit to the University of Utah, she knew that it was the school for her. Graduating in the spring of 2015, Brianna attended the University of Utah shortly thereafter to start training for the Utah women's tennis team.
"I wanted to play in the Pac-12," Brianna said. "I knew that if I wanted to play college tennis, that I wanted to play with the best, and that to me was in the Pac-12. I always thought that I wanted to leave the state to go and play, but around age 15 is when I decided that I really wanted to play for Utah. I've always loved the program and I love the coaches, so it just worked out perfectly."
Even though Brianna was a part of the Utah women's tennis team before Whitney made her decision to come here, Whitney says that she was not the main reason for becoming a Ute. Graduating high school early in December of 2016, Whitney was able to get an early start on joining the Utah women's tennis team.
"I would say that Brianna playing at the University of Utah played a little bit of a factor coming here, but I've always wanted to play Pac-12 tennis," Whitney said. "I'm also kind of a homebody, so Utah was the perfect place. I got the competition of the Pac-12, while also being able to stay close to home."
Being on the same collegiate team for three years now, Brianna and Whitney have had the opportunity to enjoy many different experiences with each other. Having your sibling as a teammate can provide many advantages, especially when it comes to practices, and matches.
"I think the best part about being on the same team, is always knowing that no matter where we are playing, I know that I have somebody who has my entire best interest," said Brianna. "It's so nice having somebody, no matter what happens, supports you."
Last season, Brianna earned the awards of being Pac-12 All-Academic first-team, as well as being named an ITA Scholar Athlete while playing at the No. 2 position in singles. Whitney played at the No. 5 spot for the majority of the season, also earned ITA Scholar Athlete and Pac-12 All-Academic second-team. For Whitney, the sky is the limit when it comes to her junior season with her biggest fan on the other court supporting her.
"She just pushed me in everything, whether it be a hard workout or a hard practice," Whitney said. "I know that I can always look at her and she will be cheering me on. It helps because she knows what I am capable of and she pushes me past what I think that I can do."
With Brianna being in her senior year with the team, this will be the last season that her and Whitney will play with each other at the University of Utah. They will continue to help each other on and off the court, as well as continue to play major roles on the Utah women's tennis team. As the spring season approaches, look for the sister duo of Brianna Chisholm and Whitney Hekking to make an impact in the Pac-12 as they compete in their last season together.
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Athletics Communications Intern
Growing up in a family that frequently played tennis, sisters Brianna Chisholm and Whitney Hekking, got an earlier start than most at the sport. While they may have different last names, with both getting married in the last year, they also go by another name - The Turley Sisters.
Their mother, Anissa Turley, was a member of the BYU women's tennis team, as well as their grandfather, who played on the BYU men's team. With tennis running in their family's bloodline, Brianna and Whitney's tennis potential was noticed very quickly.
"I played tennis as soon as I could pick up a racket, probably around age two," Brianna said. "My mom played collegiate tennis, and it was also a family activity. It started out as fun, then my family saw our potential and we started playing competitively. I was seven years old when I played in my first competitive tournament."
Whitney's fate wasn't too different from Brianna. Seeing her family play tennis on the regular gave her the motivation to get into the sport.
"It was kind of just a family thing, so we always went out and played, then I started loving it," Whitney said.
Being only one year apart in eligibility for Utah, they were constantly playing tennis together when they were younger to help each other improve. It was also an advantage for both of them to always have somebody to practice with.
"It was fun to play with her because I always had somebody to go out and hit, or practice with," recalled Brianna. "I didn't have to schedule something with a friend or another player, we always had each other to go and get some hits in without coaches."
Brianna is a senior on the team this season, but it isn't her first try at being a leader. With Whitney on the team, Brianna has been an influence on her sister for longer than their time in Salt Lake City.
"It was great growing up and being able to play with her," Whitney said. "I feel like it was fun playing with her because I had somebody to look up to, I always thought that if Brianna could do it, I could do it too."
Although they both played competitive tennis from a young age, neither of them had played on an actual tennis team. That changed after both of them attended Davis High School. Brianna was able to help the Darts win a state title in 2013, as well as winning four individual state titles throughout her high school career. She also collected the accolades of female athlete/scholar of the year award, Golden Match 2012 award for not losing a point, and the Hilary Doyle Sportsmanship Award.
"Davis high was awesome because it was the first time that I got to play on an actual tennis team," Brianna said. "It was different. It was a social thing that I wasn't really used to with tennis. It was super fun though, I wanted to be a four-time state champion and to accomplish that, just motivated me even more. Then winning the state championship as a team, that was actually our 100th anniversary of the school being open, so it was super exciting and a very big deal. Being a part of that team taught me that I can reach my goals, and I am very thankful for the experience that I had at Davis."
Whitney was also a key component in Davis' 2013 women's tennis state title. She was able to letter all four years with the Darts, winning four individual state titles and placing second in the Girls 18 Singles in the 2015 ITA Fall Championship.
"Davis was a lot of fun, and took a lot of hard work," Whitney said. "It was great playing on the same team as Brianna, she always pushed me to be better. It was also a good preparation for college with the team aspect of it."
From a young age, Brianna had always wanted to be a Ute, and after her official visit to the University of Utah, she knew that it was the school for her. Graduating in the spring of 2015, Brianna attended the University of Utah shortly thereafter to start training for the Utah women's tennis team.
"I wanted to play in the Pac-12," Brianna said. "I knew that if I wanted to play college tennis, that I wanted to play with the best, and that to me was in the Pac-12. I always thought that I wanted to leave the state to go and play, but around age 15 is when I decided that I really wanted to play for Utah. I've always loved the program and I love the coaches, so it just worked out perfectly."
Even though Brianna was a part of the Utah women's tennis team before Whitney made her decision to come here, Whitney says that she was not the main reason for becoming a Ute. Graduating high school early in December of 2016, Whitney was able to get an early start on joining the Utah women's tennis team.
"I would say that Brianna playing at the University of Utah played a little bit of a factor coming here, but I've always wanted to play Pac-12 tennis," Whitney said. "I'm also kind of a homebody, so Utah was the perfect place. I got the competition of the Pac-12, while also being able to stay close to home."
Being on the same collegiate team for three years now, Brianna and Whitney have had the opportunity to enjoy many different experiences with each other. Having your sibling as a teammate can provide many advantages, especially when it comes to practices, and matches.
"I think the best part about being on the same team, is always knowing that no matter where we are playing, I know that I have somebody who has my entire best interest," said Brianna. "It's so nice having somebody, no matter what happens, supports you."
Last season, Brianna earned the awards of being Pac-12 All-Academic first-team, as well as being named an ITA Scholar Athlete while playing at the No. 2 position in singles. Whitney played at the No. 5 spot for the majority of the season, also earned ITA Scholar Athlete and Pac-12 All-Academic second-team. For Whitney, the sky is the limit when it comes to her junior season with her biggest fan on the other court supporting her.
"She just pushed me in everything, whether it be a hard workout or a hard practice," Whitney said. "I know that I can always look at her and she will be cheering me on. It helps because she knows what I am capable of and she pushes me past what I think that I can do."
With Brianna being in her senior year with the team, this will be the last season that her and Whitney will play with each other at the University of Utah. They will continue to help each other on and off the court, as well as continue to play major roles on the Utah women's tennis team. As the spring season approaches, look for the sister duo of Brianna Chisholm and Whitney Hekking to make an impact in the Pac-12 as they compete in their last season together.
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